4 Corners Tracks of the StoneBear ABQ to Taos
April 08
Albuquerque to Taos, New Mexico
Start out the 4 Corners journey here in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Down at the old ABQ section saw the old mission church across from the historical park with cannons from ABQ battles. 1st chance to eat Texmex food... good to be near 4 Corners!
After seeing what was around ABQ headed out old route 66 to Sandia Peak overlooking ABQ. Putting around ABQ in the high 70s in shorts and sandals... Sandia Peak looked only about 4,000' high-- above the ABQ basin-- that's correct. But while driving up hwy 14 then started seeing snowpack going up hwy 536. By the time we get to Sandia peak it's 9,700' high... Sandia Crest is almost 10,700'. It's 36*, the wind is blowing at 35, and I'm hiking the Sandia ridge with teeth chattering it's so cold.
Overlooking ABQ is good. Visability is 30 to 40 miles. Wonderful ! but my god it's cold. Don't wear sandals to Sandia Peak.
Halfway down the mountain is the tinkertown museum, a collection to every kind of trinket, roadside display left over from old route 66, put together by an ecentric free thinker. Driving on Route 66 as a teenager I saw many of these type roadside displays, gadgets, arcades, ect... I'm glad I got to see Route 66 when it was real ; it's all but gone now except for a few miles of historic re- creation. Tinkertown Museum Captures the route 66 atmosphere -- absolutely !!! If you want to know what it was like to see old Route 66 ; go here. I completely understood and appreciated the mindset of the guy that collected / put this together ; we are kindred spirits.
Onto hwy 14 to Santa Fe. About 25 miles pass through Madrid, NM... small village where "Wild Hogs" was filmed and saw Maggies resturaunt. Snow flurries at the time.
Onto Santa Fe, pics of the old mission church, fountains, statues. Santa Fe downtown was kinda ritzy expensive, neat old southwest adobe architecture,... I'm just not into expensive boutique shopping so grab a tex-mex lunch and head on to Taos.
Up hwy 285 , on into the valley with Rio Grand river... really beautiful northern high arid plain of New Mexico. The plateau of the plains where the Rio Grande has cut a 1,000' gorge is a powerful sight.
Taos Pueblo is a UN World Heritage Site. It's been here over 1,000 years... and changed very little. Magnificent ! Drying racks for curing elk, bread ovens are functional and used daily. Some modern changes but life here is still 1,000 years old in daily routines.
There is a large Southwest / 4 Corners art community here and historical museums of the indian wars , and Kit Carsons home. Be sure to go out hwy 64 west 7 miles to see the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge... over 650' above the river. Pretty amazing sight w/ snowcapped mountains across the plains.
This was a good couple days journey. Could easily have taken a week to see this.
